Camera-bed.



No. 753,800. PATENTBD MAR. 1, 1904. H. W. LGCKE. CAMERA BED.

APPLICATION FILED DEO. 27, 1900.

.l0 MODEL.

UNITED STATES Patented March 1, 1904.

PATENT OEEICE.

Y HARVEY W. LOCKE, OF ROCHESTER, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO CENTURY CAMERACOMPANY, OF ROCHESTER, NEW YORK, A CORPORATION OF NEW YoEx.

CAMERA-BE D.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 7 53,800, dated March1, 1904.

Application iiled December 27, 1900. Serial No. l1,225. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, HARVEY W. LooKE, a citizen of the United States, anda resident of Rochester, in the county of Monroe and State of New York,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Camera Beds, ofwhich the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in camera-beds, and has for itsobject to provide means for operating by a single mechanism severalextensible sectionsof a bed.

My invention is particularly described in the following specification,in which-- Figure 1 is a side elevation of a camera provided with myimprovement and showing the bed extended. Fig. 2 is a horizontal cross'-section on the line 2 2 of Fig. l, showing a top view of the bedextended. Fig. 3 is a bottom view of the bed extended. Fig. t is asection on the line 4L 4 of Fig. 2, and Fig. 5 is a section on the line5 5 of Fig 3.

In the drawings, A represents the rear frame of a camera-box of suitableconstruction.

B represents the front frame, which supports the lens-frame C, and Drepresents the collapsible and expansible bellows that con* nects thetwo frames. The bed E is connected with the frame A, as by hinges a a,Fig. 2, so that it can be folded in upon and close the front end of thebox A. The under side of the bed E is cut away to receive one of theextensible sections in the manner indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 2.This section Fis represented in the drawings as made up of two parallelrails F F, whose outer edges, respectively, are grooved, so as to formthereon the parallel ianges ff, and which are connected 'together attheir ends by plates F2 F3. Guiderails E E upon the top of the bed Eproject over the fianges ff on the sides of the rails F F, respectively,and retain said section F within the bed E, while permitting it to slidelongitudinally therein. A lip f turned down from the plate F2, engageswith the edge of the bed E when the section F is carried back into thebed` E and limits the movement of this section in that direction, and astop f, that projects downward from the rail F3, is

adapted to strike a portion of the bed E and prevent said section frombeing withdrawn from the bed E. A recess f2 is shown in the edge of thebed A to receive the lip j. The inside faces of the rails F F in theconstruction I have shown in the drawings are grooved to receive platesG G', which are set into and project from the sides of the secondextensible section Gr of the bed, so that the section G is in turnretained within the iirst extensible section F and is at the same timefree to slide longitudinally between its bars F F. A stop g extendsdownward from the under side of section Gr, Fig. 3, to limit the forwardmovement of this section by the engagement of this stop with the plateF3. Parallel longitudinal grooves g g are provided in` the top of thesection Gr, Fig. 5, and a plate Gr2 isV fastened to the top of saidsection, as by screws g2, and extending partially over said grooves g.The frame B is removably connected with the section G in any suitablemanner, as by means of a clamp of common form, whose lever b isrepresented in Figs. l and 2. Any other of the many well-known meanswhereby a lens-frame is removably connected to a camera-bed may beemployed.

The camera-bed is extended by means of racks and apinion, which I willnow describe.

Upon the under sidesA of both sections F and G are racks f i f* and gAigf, respectively, that are parallel with the line of movement of saidsections. In the construction illustrated in the drawings a pair ofracks is attached to each of said sections F and G at their inner andouter edges,respectively,so that each rack on one section is adjacent toone on the other section when the section G lies within the section F.All four racks have teeth of the same pitch. A pinion H is journaled inaperforation a2 in one side of the bed E, and this perforation isextended into a recess co3, that is wider than the diameter of theperforation e2, and the recess is made deep enough for the pinion to bepushed into it until the milled head H lies in a recess formed in theedge of the bed E, and takes the position shown by the dotted lines inFig. 2. The portion of the pinion lying in the recess Z3 is larger thanthe stem L, that passes through the perforation a2, so that the pinionmay be pulled out until its end strikes the inner face of theperforation a3, and thus limits the outward movement of the pinion. Zhenthus pulled out, the milled head H is withdrawn from the recess a* intothe position shown in full lines in Fig. 2, and the milled head II and.pinion may be more readily manipulated in this position. The toothedportions of the pinion are long enough to be in engagement with theracks f1 and g* whichever position (inward or outward) the pinion has.rIhe center portion /t' of the pinion is shown without teeth. This isoptional.

When the sections F and G are slid in one upon the other, so that thebed is in'its most compact form, the teeth of the pinion I-I are inengagement only with the racks upon the section G, for the outer ends ofthe racks upon the section F are slightly back of the pinion when thissection F lies fully within the bed E. When the bed is extended, thesection G will first be forced out by the revolution of the pinion untilthe stop g engages with the front plate F2 of the section F. The ends ofthe racks yAl g4 now slightly overlap the racks fi f1, (see Fig. 3,) sothat continued revolution of the pinion draws the section F forwarduntil the racks g4 upon its under surface come into engagement with thepinion, whereupon it in turn is forced out until the camera-bed isextended to the desired degree or until further extension is stopped bythe engagement of the stop f3 with the pin fo in the bed E. When thesection F has been returned into the bed E as far as the limit of theengagement of its racks with the pinion, it is forced back the rest ofthe way by the section Gr, which engages with it when it encounters thelip f3 upon the plate F3. The racks upon the section G are sufficientlylong to make it possible to run this section fully in by means of thepinion.

In order that the section G should not be drawn backward upon thesection F when the section F is being extended by the action of thepinion device, an automatic catch or means of fastening together theextended section G and the next extensible section F is provided. Thiscatch or fastening is also automatically retracted when the section F isdrawn in so that the pinion device may operate the racks upon thesection G. This device is shown in Figs. 3 and 5. In one of the rails Flof the section F a spring-latch Z is set, that is capable of beingprojected into a socket Z in the section G.. The socket and latch areplaced in such a position that the latch engages its socket when thesection G has been fully extended with reference to the section F, andthe engagement is made automatic by means of a spring Z2. Consequentlywhen the pinion device engages the racks f'L of the section F thesection Gr remains extended and is not pulled back upon the section F bythe pull of the bellows D.

Zhen the extensible sections are to be retracted or drawn back into themain section E, the section F is iirst retracted, and when it approachesits retracted position a pin Z, extending from the latch Z, runs into acamslot Z", Fig. 8, in a plate Z5, fastened upon the section E. Theshape of the slot Zi is such that it causes the pin to move outward fromthe section G and to withd raw the latch Z from its socket Z. The slotZ`i has a portion in line with the movement of the sections F and (irand another portion at an angle to the iirst portion, whereby the pin isoperated.

The number of extensible sections may of course be more than two, and asingle pinion or several pinions on the same shaft may operate all thesections, as herein set forth.

It is obvious that the construction I have shown may be modiiied. Myimprovement may be employed to operate an extensible bed comprising morethan two sections that are of different construction from that I haveshown. It is applicable to beds comprising more than the number ofextensible sections I have shown in the drawings. I may use a pair ofracks or only a single rank on each extensible section. rIhe form of thepinion may be varied and its location and position maybe changed,provided the relative operative positions of the racks and pinions thatI have described are retained. I understand my invention to cover and Iintend to claim all such modilications.

What I claim is*q l. The combination, in a camera-bed, of a mainsection; two or more extensible sections adapted to be expanded andretracted with reference to the main section and with reference to eachother; operating means for moving said extensible sectionslongitudinally and successively so as to extend the bed; a lock forautomatically connecting said sections together; and means on the mainsection for automatically releasing said locking device by engagementwith said main section when the sections reach a predetermined relativeposition.

2. In an extension-bed for cameras, the combination of a plurality ofextensible sections; means for extending the same successively; a mainsection on which said extensible sections are mounted; a locking devicecarried by one of said extensible sections and adapted to engageautomatically with another of said sections and with said main section;and means on said main section for automatically releasing said lockingdevice from its engagement with one of said extensible sections byengagement with said main section when the sections reach apredetermined relative position.

3. In an extension-bed for cameras, the com- ICO IOS

IIO

IZO

bination of a plurality of extensible sections; means for extending thesame successively; a main section on which said extensible sections aremounted; a locking device carried by one of said extensible sections,and adapted to engage automatically with another of said extensiblesections, and with said main section; a slotted plate on said mainsection for automatically engaging said locking device to release itfrom one of said extensible sections when the latter reaches apredetermined position.

4. In an extension-bed for cameras, the combination oi' a plurality ofextensible sections;

means for extending the same; a main section on which said extensibleAsections are mounted; a locking-bolt carried by one of said extensiblesections, and adapted to engage automatically with the other of saidextensible sections and with said main section; and a slotted plate onsaid support for engaging said bolt and automatically withdrawing itfrom its engagement with one of said extensible sections when the latterlreaches arpredetermined position, substantially as described.

5. In an extension-bed for cameras, the combination of a plurality ofextensible sections, and means for extending the same; a main section onwhich said extensible sections are mounted; a locking-bolt on onesection for automatically connecting with the other section; and meansfor automatically moving said locking-bolt from its engagement with oneof said sections by engagement with the main section when it reachesapredetermined position.

6. In an extensible bed for cameras, the combination of a plurality ofextensible sections, and means for extending the same; a main section onwhich said extensible sections are mounted; a locking device carried byone of said extensible sections; cooperating Ameans therefor on theother of said extensible sections and on the main section; means forautomatic engagement and disengagement of said locking device from saidmain section, and from one of said extensible sections, when the otherof said extensible sections reaches a predetermined position in its pathof movement.

7. The combination of a camera-bed, comprising the main section E; thesection F sliding in the section E; the section G sliding in the sectionF; operating means for moving said extended sections longitudinally andsuccessively so as to extend the bed; the springlatch Z set in one ofthe rails F' of the section F; the socket Z in the section G adapted toreceive said spring-latch Z; the spring Z2; a

pin Z3 extending from the latch Z; and the plate Z5 upon the section E,having the slot Zi adapted to retract the pin Z3, substantially as shownand described.

HARVEY W. LOCKE.

Witnesses:

C. M. PERKINS, F. BissELL.

